ELT Newstag:www.eltnews.com,2016:/news//32016-03-30T05:10:50ZKeep up to date with all the news and developments in English teaching, in Japan and around the world.This page contains stories from the last seven days. Click on the calendar to the right to see any news stories from this month. They will open in a new window.Movable Type 3.35Pearson Strengthens Alliance with Nikkei Inc. on Business English, Versanttag:www.eltnews.com,2016:/news//3.34752016-03-30T05:08:49Z2016-03-30T05:10:50ZJapanese newspaper publisher Nikkei Inc. and Pearson Japan, a subsidiary of British educational service company Pearson Plc., have announced that...Mark McBennettELTNEWS.com
Japanese newspaper publisher Nikkei Inc. and Pearson Japan, a subsidiary of British educational service company Pearson Plc., have announced that they will further strengthen their alliance in the Business English industry. As a part of this, Nikkei Inc. has obtained the sole rights to distribute the Pearson-owned speaking test “Versant" as well as Pearson’s customized business English courses in Japan. The new arrangement starts on April 1st, 2016.

Centered around the online learning program "Global English Nikkei", launched in April 2013, this alliance provides a one-stop English learning solution for businesses, providing focused, customized training and four skills assessment.
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Upcoming TEMI seminars in 2016tag:www.eltnews.com,2016:/news//3.34722016-01-15T01:01:48Z2016-01-15T01:05:26ZHelene Uchida, a regular ELTnews contributor, will be touring Japan nationwide this year to conduct her popular TEMI Teacher Training Seminars to novice and veteran teachers. This is a good chance to upgrade your credentials and increase enjoyment in your classes.Mark McBennettELTNEWS.comHelene Uchida, a regular ELTnews contributor, will be touring Japan nationwide this year to conduct her popular TEMI Teacher Training Seminars to novice and veteran teachers.

Participating in these TEMI Seminars leads to obtaining the TEMI Certificate, a valuable addition to your credentials and professional development.

Helene is the founder of TEMI, Director of Little America English Schools, and a lecturer at Seinan Gakuin University, Fukuoka Women's University, and Chikushi Jogakuen University.

For more information about these seminars, please see the TEMI website, temi.or.jp/ or contact Yuki Matsubara, TEMI National Coordinator (092-521-8826).

The cities she will be visiting are listed here (PDF).]]>
Top Notch Tips competition launched to find teachers’ best lesson plans and teaching tipstag:www.eltnews.com,2015:/news//3.34712015-10-27T02:24:05Z2015-10-27T12:13:08ZPearson Japan has launched a competition for teachers in universities, colleges and private language schools to submit their best lesson...Mark McBennettELTNEWS.comPearson Japan has launched a competition for teachers in universities, colleges and private language schools to submit their best lesson plan or teaching tip for a chance to be published in the upcoming Top Notch Tips booklet. If your tip or lesson plan is one of the 20 published, you’ll get a Pearson Teachers’ Library for your school or college and be put into a draw to win an iPad for yourself, too.

The competition will be judged by Joan Saslow and Allen Ascher, authors of Top Notch, and the booklet will be published in January 2015.

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Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary Ninth Edition Now Available in Japantag:www.eltnews.com,2015:/news//3.34702015-10-15T12:02:32Z2015-10-27T02:18:36ZTo celebrate the release in Japan of the ninth edition of its world bestseller, Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (OALD), Oxford...Mark McBennettELTNEWS.comTo celebrate the release in Japan of the ninth edition of its world bestseller, Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (OALD), Oxford University Press held a launch party in Tokyo on 30th September 2015.

Patrick White, Content Director of the ELT Division and Reference Grammar at Oxford University Press, and Obunsha, co-distributor in Japan, gave presentations at the party, which also commemorated A.S. Hornby and other editors of the first editions, who dedicated their life to making the dictionary.

The dictionary has sold over 38 million copies since the publication of the first edition nearly 70 years ago, and it currently has over 100 million users including the mobile apps. The new ninth edition has an increased focus on facilitating learners’ speaking and writing, and offers access to online premium content including updated iSpeaker and iWriter with extensive pronunciation support via videos with record and playback functionality.

Also in this edition, contemporary words such as 'Twitter' and ‘blogsphere' have been added, along with words of Japanese origin including 'shonen' and 'shojo'.

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Win an all-expenses-paid trip to Oxford next Summer with Headway and OUP!tag:www.eltnews.com,2015:/news//3.34692015-10-15T01:00:00Z2015-10-15T20:55:48Z To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Headway in 2016, Oxford University Press has launched a competition to win a...Mark McBennettELTNEWS.com

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Headway in 2016, Oxford University Press has launched a competition to win a 2-week teacher training course at an Oxford University college, all expenses paid. To enter the competition, teachers need to describe how Headway has helped them improve their teaching skills and the way it has helped their students learn English.
The deadline for entries is 11th January 2016 and the course will be held at Exeter College, Oxford in July next year.
For full details, visit the competition page.
See also:
• Interview with John and Liz Soars from 2001 article
• John and Liz Soars receive MBEs for services to English language teaching article
• Buy Headway from ELTBOOKS.com]]>
2015 Extensive Reading Foundation Awards Announcedtag:www.eltnews.com,2015:/news//3.34682015-10-12T23:00:00Z2015-10-14T20:51:35Z The Extensive Reading Foundation (ERF) has announced the 11th Annual Language Learner Literature Awards (LLL Awards) for books published...Mark McBennettELTNEWS.com
The Extensive Reading Foundation (ERF) has announced the 11th Annual Language Learner Literature Awards (LLL Awards) for books published in 2014. An international jury chose the winning books in six categories, taking into account Internet votes and comments of students and teachers from around the world.
To find out more about the ERF and view the winners of the LLL Awards 2015, click here
In Japan, the finalists and winners can be ordered through ELTBOOKS.com
See also:
• Extensive Reading; Why do it, how to do it, how not to do it article
• Free Guide to Extensive Reading on ELTBOOKS article]]>
This week is Japan Teacher’s Weektag:www.eltnews.com,2015:/news//3.34672015-10-10T00:00:00Z2015-10-13T05:16:14Z To celebrate International Teacher's Day, NPO Teach For Japan, with the support of the Ministry of Education and others,...Mark McBennettELTNEWS.com
To celebrate International Teacher's Day, NPO Teach For Japan, with the support of the Ministry of Education and others, has organised Japan Teacher's Week 2015.

The week started out with a discussion hosted by Yusuke Matsuda, founder of Teach For Japan. Items under discussion included: the life of the typical teachers in Japan; the experience of teachers in Japan vs that of those in other countries; career paths for teachers; and the impact of new initiatives from MEXT.

Other events happening during Japan Teacher's Week include:
- A free exhibition "Teacher's Voices" being held at MEXT in Tokyo until the 9th October and in Ebisu from 5th to 12th October;
- TEDxTokyo on 10th October with the topic "Igniting Curiosity".
All events are in Japanese only.

Also during Japan Teacher's Week, Japanese recruitment website DODA is also featuring education related job posts from 5th until 18th October.

About Teach For Japan:
Teach For Japan is a non-profit organization founded by Yusuke Matsuda in 2012 with a vision to tackle education inequity in Japan by recruiting, training, and supporting teachers and appointing them in various schools to reach out to underprivileged and troubled children and inspire them.

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Upcoming TEMI seminars in Nagoya, Hamamatsu and Tokyotag:www.eltnews.com,2014:/news//3.34472015-08-26T07:50:30Z2015-08-26T06:00:04ZRegular ELT News contributor Helene Jarmol Uchida will be giving seminars in Tokyo on July 25-26, organized by the Teaching English Methods Institute.
Mark McBennettELTNEWS.comRegular ELT News contributor Helene Jarmol Uchida will be giving teacher-training seminars in Hamamatsu (Sept. 19), Nagoya (Sept. 20) & Tokyo (Oct. 11) and Oct. 12 ). The events are organized by the NPO Teaching English Methods Institute (TEMI).
Participating in these TEMI Seminars leads to obtaining the TEMI Certificate, a valuable addition to your credentials and professional development.
Helene is the founder of TEMI, Director of Little America English Schools, and a lecturer at Seinan Gakuin University, Fukuoka Women's University, and Chikushi Jogakuen University.
For more information about these seminars, please see the TEMI website, temi.or.jp/1st-carat or contact Yuki Matsubara, TEMI National Coordinator (092-521-8826).
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Oxford University Press was selected to partner with Otsu City on developing a teaching methodologytag:www.eltnews.com,2015:/news//3.34632015-08-19T13:34:32Z2015-08-26T05:58:30ZMark McBennettELTNEWS.com
Oxford University Press (located in Minato-ku, Tokyo; represented by Managing Director Kiyokazu Nakamura) has been selected to partner with the Otsu City Board of Education in Shiga on a project to research and develop an ICT-based teaching methodology for elementary school Foreign Language Activities classes. The Otsu City government, led by Mayor Naomi Koshi, will establish a leading English education programme for 37 public elementary schools, using Oxford University Press materials, customised lesson plans and teacher training. The project is scheduled to run until the end of March 2018.

Overview The Japanese government introduced Foreign Language Activities to elementary school education for fifth and sixth graders in 2011, with plans to incorporate English language classes into the official curriculum of elementary education by 2020, urging educational institutions as well as local governments in Japan to focus more on English language education for children. Since 2014, the Otsu City government has introduced several schemes to enhance English language training at public schools as part of a wider educational plan for facilitating international understanding, including employing more assistant language teachers (ALT), exploring English teaching methods that harness information and communications technology (ICT), and experimenting with foreign language activities for children in early elementary school years. In October of the same year, the Board of Education held an open tender to find a partner for their “Research and Development of an ICT-driven Foreign Language Teaching Methodology” project with a total budget of \161 million. The applicants were required to provide a detailed proposal for materials, training and assessment before being approved to conduct a nine-week pilot programme in a city school. Oxford University Press was announced as the winning bid on June 6th.

The project consists of a syllabus designed to not only help children improve their English skills, but to nurture their “ability to live”, as stated in the Ministry national curriculum guidelines for elementary schools. This “ability” encompasses communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking skills. The project also requires an extensive teacher training programme, created to help elementary school teachers conduct English lessons confidently and consistently.

The programme will be further developed in 5 model schools from September 2015 before being rolled out to all 37 public elementary schools in the city at the start of the 2016 academic year.

Through collaborating with teachers, technology partners and academic researchers at the University of Oxford, Oxford University Press works to create the best possible environment for learning and teaching. With a history dating back to 1478 and over 50 years’ experience in Japan’s educational industry, Oxford University Press is most widely known as a book publisher, however it also provides a wide range of educational services, working with institutions and teachers to meet the changing needs of students at all ages and levels. Oxford University Press is driven by its mission and belief that education changes lives and it strives to create vibrant classrooms which prepare students and teachers for the global stage.

More Details http://www.oupjapan.co.jp/news/pr/media/oup_pr_20150820_E_otsu.pdf

[Contact] For more details, please contact us. Richard Attwood Business Development Manager, Japan Oxford University Press

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Tips for bilingual classroomstag:www.eltnews.com,2015:/news//3.34622015-08-11T13:53:00Z2015-08-26T05:57:20ZResearch has shown that learners perform more effectively and exhibit greater progress when they are immersed in the target language....Mark McBennettELTNEWS.com
Research has shown that learners perform more effectively and exhibit greater progress when they are immersed in the target language. Here are some tips on how we can make their experiences much more meaningful:

1 Speak English!

Undeniably, learners follow by example. You cannot expect them to produce the language if you are switching to L1 constantly. Be firm and provide learners solutions to their language barriers. Remember to adjust to their proficiency level.

2 Surround yourself

Every space in the classroom is a learning opportunity. Rules, quotes, learners` work and other visual material that stimulate learning is always a good idea. Periodic reference to such materials maintains a high level of awareness and motivation.

3 Cultural immersion

Languages carry with them a heavy cultural load that we often overlook. Some cultural aspects can be greatly exploited. Exposing them to this culture and talking about it may trigger an underlying enthusiasm or interest.

4 Social phrases

Students often find American or British phrases amusing, comical or perky. Identify some and suggest students to use them instead of typical lackluster language.

5 Functionality

Can I borrow a pencil? Make sure you address all their language needs on your first sessions. Everyday recurrent classroom interaction must be performed in the target language. Be firm on maintaining this requirement.

6 Role play daily

There are a number of situations that learners can associate with. Plan some of them your students can carry out throughout the course. Be flexible if they wish to do them again or perfect their dramatization.

7 Recognize and praise effort

As a teacher, we have to address both ends. Students who stand out from the rest due to their complete dedication should be recognized through a number of instances such as performance charts, top speakers, etc. Verbal recognition throughout the class is a must.

Tapping our memorizations skills is not totally negative. Providing learners with language that is suggested to be memorized and understood enriches their vocabulary and enables the less proficient to feel a sense of achievement. Songs, poems, phrases, quotes, etc…

10 Prompts

Language learners often struggle starting to speak, Weekly exercises that prompt production and interaction should be established as a habitual task.

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Cengage Celebrates Launch of Our World Series With Free Gift Campaigntag:www.eltnews.com,2015:/news//3.34612015-07-27T06:52:34Z2015-07-27T07:24:18ZCengage Learning has announced the full publication of its long-awaited series for young learners, Our World, in partnership with the...Mark McBennettELTNEWS.comCengage Learning has announced the full publication of its long-awaited series for young learners, Our World, in partnership with the National Geographic Society.

Our World is an award-winning series packed with fascinating content to capture children’s attention, featuring stunning National Geographic photographs and videos. The series incorporates core 21st Century skills – communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking – and is an engaging and relevant way for children to learn English.

To celebrate the publication of the series, Cengage Learning are offering a special gift to all teachers who apply via the following URL by August 15th and complete a short survey:
http://www.instant.ly/s/7vCRe

The launch of Our World comes at a time when English education in Japan is undergoing major changes, with English being set as a compulsory elementary school subject from the third grade. Cengage Learning believe English education will become even more important for our children’s future and hope that young learners in Japan the 21st Century will be able to communicate confidently and naturally with their international peers in our global community.

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Pearson Japan to Launch Unique Quiz about Readerstag:www.eltnews.com,2015:/news//3.34602015-07-14T09:16:41Z2015-07-14T09:17:42Z In conjunction with the launch of the new Pearson English Readers – a freshly rebranded range of graded readers...Mark McBennettELTNEWS.com

In conjunction with the launch of the new Pearson English Readers – a freshly rebranded range of graded readers formerly known as Penguin Readers – Pearson Japan has announced a brand new quiz to help teachers explore the wide range of titles and learn more about them.

Teachers can attempt to get the highest score in the fastest possible time, and the person at the top of the leaderboard at the end of September 30th 2015 will win a Pearson English Readers library set of their choice.

Everyone can play the quiz, but to appear in the ranking and therefore become eligible to compete for the prize, teachers must have a Pearson Teachers' Club account and reside in Japan.

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Cambridge University Press Japan appoints JPT as sole logistics providertag:www.eltnews.com,2015:/news//3.34592015-06-11T08:23:39Z2015-06-11T08:25:58ZCambridge University Press in Japan has appointed Japan Publications Trading Co. Ltd (JPT), as its new sole logistics provider for...Mark McBennettELTNEWS.com
Cambridge University Press in Japan has appointed Japan Publications Trading Co. Ltd (JPT), as its new sole logistics provider for their print ELT products in Japan.

JPT, founded in 1942, is one of Japan’s largest importers and wholesalers of books and magazines in Japan. It is the largest independent distributor of language learning textbooks in Japan with a particularly strong focus on ELT.

JPT will start supplying Cambridge University Press ELT titles to all Japan based customers from July 1st, 2015. There will be no impact on the range of ELT products Cambridge University Press promotes and sells in Japan.

An international jury chose the finalists in five book categories, taking into account online votes and comments of students and teachers around the world. The winning books will be announced at the Third World Congress on Extensive Reading in Dubai, 18-20 September 2015., and concurrently on ELTBooks.com.

See also:
• More articles on Extensive Reading
• Participate in Vote (login: guest, access key: 2015-evals) (until 30 Jun 2015)
• Order finalists (20% off, Japan only)]]>
New Cloud based language school management systemtag:www.eltnews.com,2015:/news//3.34552015-04-01T23:16:30Z2015-04-17T03:59:16ZA new Cloud based language school management system for schools that teach international students called SchoolManager has just been launched....Mark McBennettELTNEWS.com
A new Cloud based language school management system for schools that teach international students called SchoolManager has just been launched. SchoolManager deals with accommodation, visas, transfers and agents. It feature drag and drop scheduling and easy completion and creation of certificates, progress reports and assessments. More information is available at www.schoolmanager.eu]]>